Every Rose Has Its Thorn
by TwoCentsForFree
Summary: Ever wonder about that rose that James carries in the EARLY episodes? Here's my story. Review please! Disclaimer: I own nothing.


Every Rose Has Its Thorn

Ever wonder about that rose James always carries in the early episodes? Here's the story.

_To denounce the evils of truth and love, to extend our reach to the stars above… _ He had said those words countless times since they'd met and only a short time ago had he noticed the power of them. Only recently had he acknowledged how he'd really felt; realized that maybe there were no evils to be found in love and that he really could touch the stars as long as she was near him. And now he wanted to tell her everything, but was unsure how to go about it.

"Girls like candy," Meowth suggested. "Why don't you give her candy?" James shook his head.

"No. Jessie's too beautiful to risk getting cavities. It's gonna have to be something else." The Pokemon placed a paw on his friend's shoulder.

"You really have it in for her, don't you?"

"More than you know," the man answered, fiddling with a flower, a rose he always carried. The idea hit him suddenly, as a jolt from a Pikachu.

"That's it! Flowers---I'll give Jessie some flowers!"

"Good idea," agreed the creature. "That'll get her for sure."

Hours later, the two friends had scoured every bit of field outside of Saffron City. There were no flowers to be found, at least none that were deemed acceptable.

"I have a question," Meowth declared out of the blue.

"What?"

"Why _do _you carry that rose, anyway?" The question caught James off guard, but he figured he may as well be honest.

"Before I joined Team Rocket, I was…that is, another girl and I…anyway, the day before I left, I decided to tell her just how much she meant to me and was gonna give her a rose. So I go to give it to her, and I see her with some other guy. I was gonna tear the flower in half and just throw it away, but I chose to keep it with me. As a symbol of what love can mean, of why it could never happen again…at least not to me." Meowth brushed a tear from its eye.

"That…was…so…sad," it snuffled. James nodded.

"But it did. I joined Team Rocket, I stole Pokemon, my heart had hardened. Or so I thought. But then…Jessie came along and now, here I go again. What if…what if she does the same thing? Well, even if history repeats itself, ''tis better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.' You know?"

"I guess. Speakin' of Jessie, we'd better get goin' if we're gonna help her get that twerp."

"Yeah, let's go."

They say patience is a virtue. For Jessie, it wasn't. She was growing tired of waiting in the bushes alone, anticipating the passing of Ash and his friends.

_Where are they? _she wondered. _Those no good, lazy, selfish---oh, good, here they are. _

"Sorry we're late," James apologized, "I had some…business to attend to." He hid the flower behind his back. "Are they here yet?"

"No," she answered, "not yet." Meowth shot James a look as if to say, _perfect timing_. James knew he was right and made his move.

"Listen…Jess, we've been partners for quite a while. That much said, I have something…I need to say to you. " For an instant, she took her eyes off of the path.

"What? Hurry up."

"I…uh…would you…that is, I…I love…" It was then that she stopped to look. Ash, Misty, Brock and all their Pokemon were now a fair distance away from them, heading toward town. She was infuriated. The anger finally exploded once James found the courage to say, "I love you. Would you consider going out with me?" Jessie was still very steamed at _once again _letting Ash and his Pikachu get away.

"No!" she shouted. "I wouldn't go out with you, and do you know _why_?" He said nothing, his face a contorted expression of pain and confusion. "Because you let them get away _again! _ You are the most _apathetic_, _incompetent_, _reckless _man ever to walk the Earth! And you call yourself a member of Team Rocket---what a joke! Come on, if we really hurry, we might still be able to catch 'em! I SAID HURRY!" And James stayed behind as she stormed off, staring down at the single red rose in his hands.

"I'm sorry, man," Meowth tried, a weak attempt at consolation.

"It happens," he nearly whispered, turning and walking the opposite direction.

"Where're you goin'?" the Pokemon asked, running to catch up with his partner.

"I don't know."

"What're you gonna do?"

"I'm not sure."

"Can I come?"

"No."

"Are you gonna be okay?"

"In time," was his rather hoarse response. Meowth watched as James took the flower, tossed it over his shoulder, and kept on walking. The animal picked it up, thought the whole situation over, and ran off to catch up with Jessie.

James was a free man. In the thirty seconds following the confrontation, he had all at once decided to quit Team Rocket and reform himself. No more stealing, no more intimidation, no more wasting his time on things like love and affection---towards anyone or anything. His first plan of action was to find Ash and company and ask for forgiveness for their previous encounters. So that's what he did.

Meowth, meanwhile, was deeply concerned about his buddy. He had tried showing Jessie the remnant of James' beloved plant, but she wouldn't hear much of any of it; she was still reeling from the day's loss. Little did she know that the biggest loss was still to be discovered. When they got back to the Team Rocket compound, Jessie found a letter taped to the door. It read:

_Dear Jessie, _

_I write this letter in hopes that I never have to tell you this face to face. Due to what happened earlier today and everything I still feel in spite of it, I have decided to leave Team Rocket. Being around something (or someone) you can't have is really just a waste of time---time that could be better spent doing other things. Somewhere out there is the perfect match for both of us. And I'm pretty sure mine is outside the confines of Team Rocket. Clearly, yours is, too. They say every rose has its thorns…I didn't know what that meant until today. The same way a thorn can prick your finger and make it bleed, my heart now bleeds because of rejected words. I wish you the best of luck in all of your future undertakings. _

_Yours now and forever (if only you'd let me,) _

_James _

"See," Meowth piped up once Jessie had finished scanning the memo, "I told you he really had feelings for you---still don't get why. But I'll bet you feel like an idiot now, huh?" For a split second, every sort of expression disappeared from her face, but she finally said,

"If he wants to be a quitter, fine! We could probably kidnap that Pikachu a lot faster without him slowing us down. Let's get going, we have a plan to hatch." The Pokemon just shook his head as it became clear that the only real friends he had were missing the biggest part of their lives---each other.

"You _what_?" Ash Ketchum was having a hard time believing what he was hearing, and rightfully so. After all, James hadn't proved to be all that reliable in the past.

"I quit Team Rocket. My heart just isn't in it, at least not anymore. So I just wanted to make amends for trying to get your Pokemon. Just wanted to let you know that I'm no longer tied to any attempts Jessie or anyone else may make to steal your Pikachu or anything else. But I would like you to do me a favor, if you could."

"What kind of favor?" Brock inquired suspiciously.

"That if Jessie comes by and asks if you've seen me, you haven't. Got that? I was never here."

"So you want us to _lie_?" Misty reasoned. The other flashed a thumbs-up.

"Uh-huh---I'm tryin' to get as far away from her, from the whole bloody thing as I can. Thanks." Ash tried to think of any time he'd heard James use the words _thank you_. He drew a blank.

"Well then, you'd better hide, 'cause here they come." The ex-criminal dove into the bushes.

"Hold it right there, twerps!" Jessie commanded as she and Meowth jumped out of the approaching weather balloon. And so began the usual monologue. "To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation," cut in Meowth, filling in for the absentee.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above…" Ash was beginning to wonder how much more he could take when something happened that surprised him.

"Jessie."

"Meowth!" the little creature chimed in. They could see her demeanor begin to change as the speech came to a close. "Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or---" Suddenly, Jessie stopped speaking as tears filled her eyes. "What's the point?" she continued, finally letting go, dissolving into the sobs that would inevitably come. "It's just not the same." As he witnessed this, Ash suddenly felt a deep twinge of pity for both the girl there before him and the boy who now watched from the foliage. He kept his eye on the shrub in which he was hiding. From that spot, James could see it all, tears coursing down his face. He wanted desperately to go to her, to take her in his arms and never let her go---but he didn't---he couldn't. Unable to continue the assault, the two remaining members of Team Rocket left the scene, leaving the former to weep bitterly over his own regrets.

"Maybe you should help 'em," Brock muttered to Ash, motioning to James' bush.

"_Me?"_ the young trainer asked. "Why me?"

"'Cause it's the right thing to do." And somehow that was enough for Ash. He nodded and walked over, Pikachu tagging along at his heels.

"Hey…are you gonna be all right?" he asked. No answer was received for a long time.

"Yeah…yeah, I'll survive. It's not like I haven't had my heart broken before."

"Maybe you should go after them," Ash recommended, squatting down next to the other.

"I can't---it's not that easy," James answered, his eyes glassy. "It's like, she took my heart and trashed it---and now I'm supposed to come back like it was _my fault_? Sorry, ain't gonna happen."

"No, I'm not saying that. What I _am _saying, though, is that maybe…no, not maybe, _clearly_---Jessie needs you just as bad as you need her."

"I don't think that'll happen, either."

"Well it's worth a try. You said she turned you down, right? So show Jessie exactly _what _it was that she turned down. Make the first move. If you really care about her like you know you do, don't hide from it---go tell her again. I think…I think she just learned that she feels the same way about you. If you rejoin Team Rocket, you'll be saying to her 'I loved you enough to come back, even though I was hurt the first time---let's try this again.' Know what I mean?"

"Yeah, actually, I do---thanks." Ash extended his hand which James grasped and shook. "But uh, you realize that if I do go back to Team Rocket, you'll still be a brat and we're still gonna catch that Pikachu…don't you?" Ash acquiesced.

"Of course."

"Good. At least we're on the same page." The younger turned to walk away but was stopped.

"Wait a second!"

"Yeah?"

"How do you know so much about romance?" Ash felt his cheeks turn red as he looked in Misty's direction.

"Uh…well, you know, it's---just what I would do, you know…if I was in your place."

"Yeah, sure…whatever." And as Ash glanced one more time at Misty, he couldn't help but wonder if, maybe someday….

A few days later, as Ash made his way out of Saffron City with his newly acquired Marsh Badge, Brock commented,

"Hmm…I wonder what ever happened to Team Rocket? They haven't been stalking us much lately. It's almost kinda…I don't know…weird, I guess." No sooner had the words left his lips, the ever-too familiar battle cry was sounded again and as they rambled on and on, Ash was left to think,

_Oh great…if this is anything like last time…well, I ain't givin' anymore pep talks. Understand, Brock? I'm done. Got that? Done. And now it's time to once again observe the lamest attempt yet by Team Rocket to steal my Pokemon---who's got the popcorn?? _He snapped back to reality just as the oration was coming to an end.

"Jessie." Meowth was about to offer in its introduction, but a voice came from behind them.

"James." His other team members were stunned at his appearance, and they had every right to be. He had walked out on them.

"What're you doing here?" Jessie asked, trying to keep her obvious excitement to a minimum.

"I just thought that the straight and narrow was just too narrow, so I decided to come back to Team Rocket. Why?"

"No reason."

"And…you missed us," Meowth said. James nodded, patting the creature on the head.

"Yeah…that too. I---I really _did _miss you, Jessie." Their eyes locked. It was her turn now.

"Ditto. Hey listen…about the other day…I was---" He held up a hand, silencing her.

"No, no. You don't need to say it. I've been doing some thinking and there's just no room in this relationship for a relationship. So maybe---maybe we could just be friends and perhaps, one day…something more, who knows?" She agreed.

"Yeah. I think we make better partners than lovers…for now, anyway." He got down on one knee. "Now what are you doing?" the other asked, confused.

"Jessie…would you---" For a moment, it looked as though he was going to pop the question. Ash, Misty and Brock's jaws collectively dropped in shock. "help me catch that Pikachu?" A smile of relief and a tiny bit of disappointment spread across her face.

"Why James…of course I will." He rose to face her and presented her with a freshly picked, long-stemmed rose---and a soft kiss. "What was that for?" Jessie was blushing now.

"For whatever you thought it was for, how about that?"

"Fair enough."

"Can you guys move it along a little? I'd like to be a Pokemon master by the time I'm as old as Professor Oak!" Ash snapped. The baddies realized he was right.

"Right…sorry. So, squirt, prepare to hand over your precious Pikachu!" they ordered.

"Don't think so." Ash and his crew put up a good fight and eventually sent the recently reunited Team Rocket blasting off…again. When they were gone, Misty came up behind Ash and put her arm around his shoulder.

"That was a good thing you did…helping them get back together. It almost makes me a little less angry that you totaled my bike." Ash let out a nervous chuckle; he had to get away. To do that, he quickly planted a big, wet kiss on Misty's cheek, good enough to rival a Likatung.

"THAT WAS DISGUSTING!" she shouted when she finally knew what hit her. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT, ASH KETCHUM JUST YOU WAIT---YOU'RE DEAD MEAT!"

"You'll have to catch me first!" he challenged, a mischievous grin on his face. And off the two ran, leaving Brock to shake his head and laugh to himself about what a strange couple they'd make.


End file.
